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…Says 60M Nigerians using gaming platforms monthly
From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has said that it is working with the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will ensure data protection compliance on gaming platforms.
NDPC National Commissioner, Dr Vincent Olatunji disclosed this at a Sensitization workshop on Data Privacy/Protection, organised by the Commission Thursday in Abuja.
According to Olatunji, over 60 million Nigerians, particularly those within the vulnerable groups, participate in gaming on a monthly basis, necessitating regulation of the industry to safeguard their sensitive data.
He said: “We have over 60 million Nigerians involved in gaming every month out of the population of over 200 million people. So, more than a quarter of the population and most of these people are in the category of the vulnerable groups who are not even aware of the importance of data security.
“So that is why we are working with the regulator of that sector, the Nigerian Lottery Commission to ensure that we have a proper understanding of what they need to do. We are working with all the people involved in this sector, the stakeholders for them to prioritize data protection.
“So we are working on that and we are developing an MoU that is going to guide whatever we are doing with them in that sector.”
The NDPC boss also underscored the need to develop home grown solutions that would improve data privacy and protection compliance in Nigeria.
In his remarks, the Minister of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani said that data privacy was not just a matter of convenience, but a fundamental human right.
Tijani assured of the current administration’s commitment to ensuring that every Nigerian can trust the digital passwords that they use knowing that their personal data will not be misused or mishandled.
He said that to achieve this, the government was taking proactive steps to strengthen the nation’s data protection framework.
According to him, data privacy and protection is extremely important for delivering an all inclusive and prosperous economy.
“Our daily lives have become interwoven with the digital landscape and with generating and collecting and also sharing data. This data is empowering various sectors such as healthcare, finance, education among so many others.
“The amount of data that we are generating individually daily is enormous but with great power comes great responsibility. We cannot underestimate our individual and collective responsibility to safeguard the privacy and security of this data.
“A lot of people do not understand why it is important to protect their data. Data is important in shaping what people think, how people think, without being aware
“The role of the NDPC in ensuring that we have a structure around the regulation of data protection is extremely important in our journey as a nation.
“As we embrace the digital age, we must ensure that the protection of personal and sensitive information of our citizens is maintained under the highest standard of confidentiality.” The Minister said.
